Vindictive
by f-romanoff-13
Summary: An old enemy reappears determined to get revenge on Clint and Natasha, the team try to help out but become caught in the crossfire. Reviews are always appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

There'd been a lot of chatter about a major arms dealer named Nicholas Nazari showing his face around Chicago. SHIELD had been monitoring the situation; an anonymous tip had been verified that an important meeting was to be made with his unknown supplier. SHIELD wanted to apprehend this unknown supplier and take down all of their connections; causing huge disruptions in the illegal weapons trade.

That's where Agents Romanoff and Barton came in.

Their cover story had been simple enough; newlywed couple Aaron and Rosie Watson had dropped out of college when she'd been diagnosed with a brain tumour. Three years later, and now fully recovered, the two had gotten part-time jobs in the town center (right by Nazari's favourite cafe where the meeting was supposedly taking place) in order to pay for night school to finish off their qualifications (teaching and pre-med).

Natasha hadn't been impressed to learn that her undercover assignment included working in a jewelers; but felt instantly better on learning Clint's cover story required him to work at the hot dog stall and involved him wearing an apron and a cap. She'd laughed so hard when she first saw him in his uniform! At least Natasha just had to wear a suit and a name tag.

The first few days passed uneventfully; they'd planted some cameras around the busy town center for SHIELD to examine, their status as a married couple allowed them to spend their lunch breaks together without fear of being seen, and they monitored the busy streets as best they could; looking out for anything unusual or any people frequenting the area.

It was on the fifth day of their undercover work that things went drastically wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

Clint was on the early shift that day; working the morning rush at the food stall, while Natasha was on the close at the jewellers; starting mid-afternoon, she was due to stay after hours in order to help change the layout of some of the displays.

They'd decided to meet up inbetween their shifts to grab some food, spend some time together and swap any relevant information regarding the mission. After sandwiches and coffee (of which Clint insisted he didn't want any, only to steal the last bit of Natasha's before she could finish it) they parted ways as Clint went back to their shared flat, while Natasha went to start her shift.

She greeted Cathy on her way into work, she was a young girl who'd started working at the shop a few weeks earlier. Natasha had been on shift less than five minutes when the feeling hit her; and it hit her hard. Her vision blurred and breathing became hard. She clutched at her throat as she scrambled desperately for breath. Everyone was staring at her now; both staff and customers, concern plastered all over their faces. Natasha briefly saw Cathy move tentatively towards her before her vision disappeared completely and the floor seemed to slam into her; taking with it her last bit of breath.

She could feel people crowding round her, heard someone on the phone asking for an ambulance. All she could think of was where Clint was, that she needed him here with her. She didn't understand what was happening; she could hear but her muscles, sight and speech all failed her. She felt trapped and with no way to contact Clint she was worried; concerned about the mission and Clint's safety.

It seemed like forever, but the paramedics eventually arrived. One of them placed an oxygen mask over her face while the other leaned low to whisper in her ear:

"Nat, its me and Steve. We got you. You're safe" it was Bruce. A soft hand gently stroked the side of her face. As she was rolled onto a back board and lifted from the floor.

The ambulance sped away from the bustling town center; swerving round traffic and skipping red lights in its haste to get to its destination.

"Nat, Natasha, squeeze my hand if you can hear me? ... Nothing. Damnit, Steve step on it!"  
The breaks squealed as the van halted suddenly.

"Steve? What the hell -"

"The road's blocked!"

"Put the sirens back on! Its an emergency! Damnit Nat keep breathing!"  
Bruce tightened the oxygen mask around her face before jumping up to help Steve.

"There! Go through there!" he said gesturing to a gap in the traffic

"I can't! There's -"

"Move!"  
Bruce slid into the recently vacated drivers seat and slammed the acceleration pedal down. Steve stumbled backwards at the sudden acceleration. It turned out the road was blocked because one of the fire hydrants had burst; spilling water all over the road. It didn't stop Bruce, he drove through the road blocks; sending traffic cops jumping out the way, a tidal wave of water soaking any passers-by as Bruce drove through the deep water.

"Bruce! She's not breathing!"

"Shit! Swap again!"  
He stopped suddenly in the middle of the road, causing several cars to swerve to avoid them.

They finally pulled into the Chicago SHIELD office as Bruce got the intubation tube in. He slowly squeezed the ambu bag; manually breathing for his friend. When she was whisked away by the medical team a tear rolled down his cheek.

"She'll be okay Bruce, she has to be..." Steve said solemnly.

"I should have been quicker, it took too long! I'm out of practice..." Bruce said angrily. His hands clenched into fists, he shook with rage, and his skin tinged green as he took deep breaths to try and calm himself.

"Bruce, its Steve. Focus on my voice... We need you right now, not the other guy. We need to figure out who did this. We need to fix this... Just breathe"

Bruce focused on his words, using them to anchor himself; breathing deeper and slower. Natasha needed Bruce right now; the other guy would be needed later. He felt his control growing stronger, the monster inside settled.

"Thanks" he muttered, turning to follow the doctors up to the medical bay.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony had been sent to collect Clint; Steve and Bruce hadn't had time to get him too. Unfortunately for Tony that meant posing as a cop, informing a man that his wife was now critically ill in hospital. It was important to keep cover on the slim chance this whole thing was unrelated to the Nazari mission, and his Iron Man suit was anything but subtle.  
Clint answered the door wearing nothing but joggers, his hair still damp from the shower. "What is it Rosie? You forget your... What, what's wrong?" his voice was panicked, his eyes wide and fearful of the news he was about to receive. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this Mr. Watson, but your wife is very ill. I've come to take you to the hospital" Clint could do nothing but nod. Grabbing a t shirt from his draw he followed Tony silently from the apartment, not even pausing to lock the door.  
As soon as they were on their way he asked the question which had formed in his mind the moment he'd first seen Tony stood at his door: "Is she dead?" "No, but it doesn't look good, I'm sorry man. I was told to prepare you but..." Tony faltered, a tear rolled down his cheek. Clint slumped down in the car seat. He couldn't do this, not without Nat. He didn't know how to live without her; their partnership defined him, their relationship gave him reason to live. They were two halves of a whole; she had to survive, Clint wouldn't give her a choice. Besides, she'd been through bad before, they both had.

* * *

Natasha could feel people milling around her, jabbing needles into her arms, attaching monitors and taking reading. She felt nauseous; uncomfortable with a tube down her throat, her head ached; causing a searing pain down her spine which was more than she thought she could cope with. Her mind faded in and out of focus, thoughts fading before they could fully form. Her hands and feet had been strapped to the bed at some point; violent seizures left her muscles aching and heavy with fatigue. She heard various people around her room; some she knew, some she didn't. She heard Fury and Hill, Steve and Bruce, but no Clint; he hadn't arrived yet and that worried her. She could only hope that he was okay.

Tony supported Clint as he clumsily made his way up to the medical bay; the shock of what had happened had clearly affected him. The two assassins were used to being shot and stabbed; physical wounds that could be seen and fixed, an enemy to fight; but this was something different. They hadn't yet identified what had happened, all they knew was the effects Natasha was suffering through: she was conscious but unresponsive, she had a fever and could no longer breath on her own. Seizures had started not long after she'd arrived at SHIELD and had progressively gotten worse. The medical staff were also expressing concerns about brain damage, but Tony was choosing to ignore all of this; intending to find a cure himself if he had to!

Clint walked slowly towards her, stumbling slightly on his way. Everyone had gone silent, watching as he made his way to his partner. All the eyes fixed on him made him more determine not to let the tears that were burning his eyes fall.  
He grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly, never wanting to let go. He hoped she was aware enough to know he was here with her.


	4. Chapter 4

Bruce, Steve and Tony looked on from a distance. Clint's head rested on the edge of Natasha's hospital bed while he slept, both hands still clutching hers.

"Any news on the blood works yet?" Steve asked, trying to break the silence which had fallen over everyone when the archer had entered the ward.

"Nothing useful yet"

"What the hell is taking so long?!" Tony asked furiously.

"They've ruled out most of the usual poisons and toxins, its taking longer to run more in depth tests"

"I can't be here... I need to do something,I need to be useful" and with that the billionaire turned and left. Bruce followed, leaving Steve stood alone.

* * *

Steve went over to the hospital bed, not wanting to intrude, but wanting to make sure Clint had eaten and had something to drink, and to offer him his support if he wanted it.

"Clint, Clint?.." He shook his shoulder gently to wake him, but Clint fell limply to the floor, hitting his head on the side of a table on the way.

"I need some help in here!"  
At Steve's shout the room was filled instantly with doctors and nurses, hauling Clint onto the spare bed and attaching various monitors.

"He has similar symptoms to Miss. Romanoff, although his symptoms appear to be less severe; Romanoff was exhibiting seizures by this point, and Barton is still able to breath unassisted" The doctor announced a short while later with confidence.

"Do you know what's causing it?" Steve asked hopefully. The doctor shook his head; "We're still running tests" was all the information Steve got before Fury stormed in; Steve had never seen him so riled.

"Captain Rogers, I need you in Chicago; Banner and Stark have gone back to New York and I need eyes on Nazari"

"But sir I'd really prefer to be here, with my team"

"I know Rogers, but Romanoff and Barton would understand. The mission is important; they'd want it seen through. And I can only hope that you'll be immune to whatever has affected them"

"Yes sir" As much as it pained Steve to admit it; Fury was right, and there was little he could do for Clint and Natasha at the moment, but he could make sure their mission was completed.

* * *

Once Steve reached the city center the whole block had been cornered off. People in hazmat suits pushed their way past and there were news vans and police cars everywhere. Steve watched as one of the reporters recorded her piece:

"And here, in the busiest area of downtown Chicago, there have been two reported cases of people affected by an unknown toxin. The police have apparently called in the CDC and are taking every precaution to ensure this is an isolated incident... The affected people; Rosie and Aaron Watson are being treated at a private hospital. I've been informed by a source that the husband is hoped to make a full recovery, however medics are doubtful his wife will survive the night unless lab technicians can identify the cause... They both had jobs here in the city center, which is why CDC officials are hoping to locate the source here and prevent any further cases..."

Suddenly Steve noticed Nazari watching him from the other side of the news reporter. He looked Steve in the eye, smiling a malicious grin at him before he turned and disappeared into the crowd. Steve ran after him, knocking several people out the way in his rush to get to him, all his thoughts on Natasha and Clint lay in their hospital beds. But he was too late; Nazari had vanished.


	5. Chapter 5

Tony and Bruce had just reached their lab in Avengers tower; a sample of Natasha's blood in Tony's hand, when Bruce's phone rang.  
Tony was too busy giving JARVIS instructions to pay attention to the conversation, trying to keep his mind away from thoughts of what would happen if they failed, if they couldn't find a cure.

"Tony... Tony" Bruce's voice was gentle but urgent.  
Tony continued busying himself, not sure he wanted to hear what the other man had to say. Tony hated to admit it, but the other five members of the team had become family to him, he couldn't bare the thought of losing one of them. Bruce grabbed his shoulders; forcing him to face him, ensuring her heard what he had to say:

"Tony, Clint is down too. Same thing as Tasha, but less severe. They're sending a blood sample over"  
Tony let out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. It wasn't good news, but it was definitely better than what he'd been expecting to hear.

And with that both men set to work, silently trying to identify the substance which threatened their friends lives.


	6. Chapter 6

Something had gone wrong, Natasha knew it. Clint had been there; she'd sensed him and now he was gone. It quickly became harder to focus. Her mind faded deeper into blackness; she had no idea how much time had passed since she'd been in the jewelry store; it could have been hours, or days. Her thoughts became clouded, she was losing herself and she knew it, it panicked her more than she'd care to admit. The sensation brought about old memories; feelings of helplessness and desperation.  
Clint's absence also bothered her; he was either also incapacitated, or on some crazy quest for revenge which was likely to end up with him hurt or dead; both scenarios worried her, and she was frustrated she couldn't find out what was happening.

* * *

Maria sat in-between the two assassins; trying to focus on the notes the medics had been compiling, she felt guilty that they were left alone after their team had been sent away to work. Her eyes kept glancing up to the monitors by Natasha's bed. She'd been deteriorating rapidly, and Clint wasn't doing much better. Hill was worried, Coulson was fretting, and Fury was angry. She could only hope that Stark and Banner were having more success than the SHIELD scientists who'd come up with absolutely nothing of use, and time was rapidly running out for SHIELDs top two field agents.


	7. Chapter 7

Steve reported his sighting to Fury and continued to scour the area for any information. The news vans and heavy police/CDC presence had disappeared and the town had reverted back to its normal state quicker than Steve had thought possible. He suspected SHIELD had something to do with that.

He went in a number of shops and restaurants, showing Nazari's photo to the staff to see if anyone had seen him; so far no-one seemed to recognise him. He called in the cafe next door to the jewellery shop to grab a cup of tea and ask some of the staff in there. The manager was rude, stating brashly that he'd never seen him before, and that he and his staff were too busy to answer any of his questions. Steve finished off his beverage sat alone outside, the waitress seemed more willing to chat but a glare from her boss stopped her talking completely and she scurried away to busy herself elsewhere. On leaving; he left her a tip, to which she handed him a napkin; 'meet me back here at 9, i have information you may need' was written on the napkin in neat hand writing and she wore a slight smile on her face. He nodded subtly and turned to leave.  
The young woman clearly knew something, and her boss obviously didn't want Steve to find out. He could only hope that they would finally have some useful information.


	8. Chapter 8

"Director Fury, Tony and I have identified the toxin... Its an altered form of the venom from a snake known as the 'Latifi's Viper'"

"Tell me there's an antidote"

"We're working on it sir, the alterations made to the venom make it much more potent, we're trying to alter the antidote to take that into account. The levels in Natasha's blood are dangerously high; its at 65 mg; normally 40 would be lethal but the adjustments made to it makes it more effective, more deadly. Its a miracle she's still alive. The levels in Clint's blood are lower; around 20 mg"

"Banner, get me that cure before its too late"

"Right away Fury. But there's something else you should know... The Latifi's Viper is an endangered species, extremely rare, only found in certain remote areas of Iran..."

"Iran?"

"Yes sir"

"Nazari!"

"That was our thinking"

"Right, I need that antidote in Chicago **now** Banner"

"You got it sir, we'll be there as soon as we can!"

* * *

Steve returned to SHIELD, he had several hours until he needed to meet the waitress and felt guilty at having to leave Clint and Natasha.

When he entered the medical bay his eyes went wide. Natasha was clammy and pale; in the mist of a seizure. Her heart was racing, Steve was no doctor but even he could tell her heart rate was dangerously high (reading at 173 bpm on the machines by her bedside). Doctors were trying to give her drugs to slow it down, but they didn't seem to be working.

In contrast to the panic and activity surrounding Natasha; Clint looked almost peaceful. He breathed calmly in an even rhythm, his face serene; a stark contrast to the pain etched on Natasha's. The seizures clearly hadn't hit him yet either; his hands and feet weren't strapped down like his partners. An oxygen mask was placed loosely over his face so it was also obvious his breathing hadn't become compromised like hers either.  
Steve silently crossed the room, taking a seat next to Clint, he'd only be shooed away by one of the many doctors or nurses if he tried to get near Natasha. With a deep sigh he rested his head in his hands and prayed.

* * *

Steve was awoken some time later with an awful pain in the pit of his stomach; it felt like acid burning its way through his organs, so bad it wrenched him from his deep sleep. He fell to the floor clutching his abdomen; eyes watering in agony. His throat burned with every breath, the air seeming to get thicker and harder to inhale. The room span and sweat ran down his face, he had no strength to get back up. If he'd been hit with the same thing as Natasha and Clint he really felt for them; this was by far the most pain he'd ever felt, and he suspected the serum was preventing him feeling the worst effects.

Hill entered the medical bay to find Steve splayed on the floor, breathing harshly and gripping his stomach.

"Rogers? Rogers!"

"Just... G-gimme a minute..." He panted. Desperately trying to compose himself.

"What time... Is it?"

"Its half 9, why?"

"Dammit! I g-gotta get... back into t-town"

"I don't think you're in a state to go anywhere!" Maria said, helping him to stand. He leaned on her more than she'd expected; almost causing her to buckle under his weight.

"Sit down" she instructed, aiming him at the chair before the weight became too much.

"Stark and Banner are on their way back, they think they have the antidote"

"Maria, there's a waitress... She knows something about Nazari... I was s-supposed to meet her..."

"Where?"

"The cafe"

"Ill go. Stay here, i'll get a nurse"

"I'm fine. Stay safe"


	9. Chapter 9

Tony and Bruce practically sprinted up to the medical bay; skidding to a halt before they ran into the team of nurses and doctors in the room. They'd recieved updates on their teammates and knew things didn't look good. Three of them were now exhibiting symptoms; the fact it had even affected Steve gave merit to how potent the venom was. Natasha was now barely hanging on. They handed the vials over to the doctors praying they'd got it right.

"No!" Bruce shouted abruptly as the doctor approached Natasha with a needle.

"Give it to him first!" He said urgently, gesturing to Clint.

"But she needs it the most..."

"We haven't tested it yet! We can't risk making her worse"  
The doctor nodded, uncertainty written all over her face, but nevertheless, she obeyed. Bruce felt guilty at offering Clint up as a test subject, but he was in a much better place to handle anything else in his system than Natasha.  
They all held their breath as the antidote was delivered to Clint; slowly he stirred, his hand reached up ripping the oxygen mask from his face. Finally, his eyes opened; his vitals were normal and he sat up slowly, eyes scanning the room; from Steve slumped in the chair, to Natasha strapped to the bed, he was evidently alert. He scrambled to his feet and over to Natasha's bedside.

"Nat, Natasha; I'm here, I'm with you. But you gotta wake up now, okay?" His hand were shaking as he stroked her face, grabbing her hand, and his face was damp with tears. The doctors eyes focused on Bruce who nodded before she darted to Natasha with another needle; administering the antidote, before turning to Steve. Steve perked up almost instantly, even quicker than Clint had. But it was an agonising wait to see if Natasha would respond.

* * *

Maria walked through the town, hugging her jacket tight around her. It was gone 10 o'clock, all the shops and restaurants were now closed. She could only hope the waitress had waited long enough for her to catch her. They couldn't come so close to getting something on Nazari to miss it like this.

She glanced at her phone to see a message from Coulson: _'Antidote successfully administered. C'_ Breathing a sigh of relief a smile flasher over her face; at least that was something!

As she reached the now closed cafe, she glanced around with worry; there was noone there. Not one to give up easily; she continued to search. Round the back of the cafe Maria found the waitress.  
She was lay in a pool of blood, her eyes wide open. Her dark curly hair was a startling contract to her pale, lifeless face. A note was clutched tightly in her hand. Maria reached across, careful not to disturb anything and took the crumpled piece of paper from her. Scrawled in messy handwriting was a short note: _'Give my regards to Romanoff, Barton and Rogers. If you still can. N'_  
Damn.  
They were seriously being played. SHIELD had sent their best people to Chicago to monitor Nazari, and he'd used that to try to kill them. She needed to get back to HQ; Chicago wasn't safe.


	10. Chapter 10

The small meeting room in the Chicago office was nothing like the large, expansive rooms they had back in New York. Around the cramped table sat four of the avengers; an empty seat remained between Clint and Bruce that should have been occupied by Natasha. Noone even dared to try and sit there. Fury, Hill, Coulson and several other senior agents filled the remaining seats. Several medics and junior agents filed in and stood anywhere and everywhere they could; eager to be a part of the meeting.

Fury stood and began:  
"Nazari has launched a targeted attack against us. The manager of the cafe has been identified as Peter Joynson; Nazari's nephew. It would appear he used his position to get access to Romanoff and Rogers when they visited the cafe. Luckily, Barton only received a small dose of the poison when he finished Romanoff's coffee this morning"  
Clint groaned as several eyes darted his way. The medics suspected Natasha would have died long before the antidote was delivered if she'd ingested the remainder of the venom used to spike her drink.

"We also suspect he took the hit out on the waitress Rogers was supposed to meet this evening. It would seem Nazari spread the rumours about his meeting in order to draw out The Avengers and I want to know why the hell we believed them?!" Maria scribbled a note in her diary and nodded to him.

"We need to get back on top of this. Nazari is one twisted son of a bitch and we can not allow this to continue. I want Peter Joynson in our custody and I want him there now!"  
Several murmurs of 'yes sir' and 'right away sir' came from various people crowded in the room, and when Fury gazed at them a few filed out of the room to get to work.

Tony had had enough.

"And what do you suppose _we_ do now, _sir_?" the way he sarcastically emphasised the last word told Bruce that Tony had completely run out of patience. "No offence but its not your people getting hunted down. You've had agents popping in and out of that cafe for weeks and not one of them has been poisoned, Hill practically handed herself over to him earlier and nothing! He's not interested in you and your people. Its us he wants to take out and I want to know why. Why's he only targeted our team? Why's he so fixated on us?"

"Stark don't be so ridiculous..." Fury began but was interrupted before he could finish.

"I'd like to know that too" It was Natasha. She stood in the doorway, leaning her weight against the wall. She looked like death, literally. She shivered slightly; still weak after hours of seizures had drained her of her energy. She was still incredibly pale, and dark circles around her eyes made her looks as if she hadn't slept for weeks. Everyone in the remained room silent and made space for her to make her way through the crowded room and take her seat between her teammates before the conversation could continue.  
Coulson looked up at Fury expectantly, and that was all Tony needed to know he was onto something.

"You'd better tell us now Fury, or we walk and you can clean up your own shit for once"


	11. Chapter 11

Fury looked at each of the five Avengers in turn; seeing the resolve sent in each of their faces. They were all with Tony on this one, even his own two agents, and he couldn't really blame them...

"Everyone who's not Romanoff, Barton, Rogers, Stark, Banner, Hill or Coulson: out... Now"  
There were a few mutters of disappointed grumbles as the other agents and medics shuffled from the room. Fury rubbed his forehead and turned his eye to his team. A pang of guilt hit him squarely in the face as he took in his teams appearance; Bruce and Tony looked fine, if a little exhausted; the concern for their friends had clearly taken it out of them. The anger was still clearly etched on both men's faces; Bruce's fists clenched tightly into fists on the table in front of him. Natasha, sat next to Bruce, was slumped in her chair; drained of all her energy from the day's events. It if had been anyone else; Fury suspected they'd have crashed by now, if they'd even had managed to get down to the meeting room at all. Clint's hand gently squeezed her knee; helping keep her focused and awake. He stared at Fury, waiting for an explanation. He too, looked shattered, a bruise marring his temple where he'd hit it when he'd collapsed. Fury noted how Clint's eyes flickered worryingly over to Natasha ever few seconds. Steve flanked the other end, and was the only member of the team who had stood, standing like the solider he was; waiting patiently for Fury to begin.

"Nazari has a score to settle with Romanoff and Barton" Fury said bluntly.  
The other three Avengers turned to face their teammates, but Natasha and Clint's faces bore no more understanding of what Fury had referred to than their own.

"Remember Vilnius, Latvia? About 18 months ago?" Coulson offered. The two agents nodded silently. It hadn't been a great mission; the objective had been met, but at a cost. They'd been sent by SHIELD to take down an Iranian war criminal named Joseph Arvin who was in hiding there. They'd successfully infiltrated Arvin's inner circle but someone, supposedly on their side, had betrayed them and they were lucky to make it out alive. Several weeks of physical therapy followed for Clint who'd badly damaged his wrist and shoulder in the escape, and Natasha had needed 57 stitches in her back after she'd pushed Clint out of the way of an attack; leaving her unconscious for almost 4 days. They remembered the mission; they didn't see the connection to Nazari.

"Arvin was Nazari's son in law. His daughter committed suicide 2 months ago. She killed her son too." Fury explained the missing link, no emotion shown in his voice or on his face

"You sent Nat and Clint undercover after Nazari, knowing they had this connection?" Stark asked in disbelief.

"We were not aware Nazari knew who carried out the hit on Arvin. Our intel was verified before we sent you in" Fury tried to justify.

"That's a crap excuse and you know it!" Bruce said before standing and leaving the room. The rage building inside of him was reaching dangerous levels. The other guy was just below the surface; itching to get out. Bruce had to keep his cool or forever be known as the person who threw Nick Fury out a fifth storey window.


	12. Chapter 12

"Did you ever find the mole?" Steve asked, breaking his long silence.

"Yes" Fury answered, but at the same time Natasha gave an answer of "No".

Steve raised an eyebrow: "well, which is it?"

"We apprehended Agent Yates while Romanoff and Barton were in medical. He had known all the details of the mission, including their cover stories, he had the opportunity and the means; we found evidence on his personal computer of contact with Arvin's inner circle and a large money transfer was made into his account the morning the mission went south. It was pretty simple" Fury stated matter of factly, despite the fact Tony, Steve and Clint all had their eyes on Natasha.

"It was too easy" was the explanation she offered, clearly too exhausted to offer a more in depth answer. Clint nodded his agreement; it was obviously something they'd discussed in detail before.

"Agent Romanoff you were out cold for three days in the medical bay on your return from that mission, I assure you; there was nothing easy about it"  
Natasha's eyes darted up, meeting Fury's gaze.

"Believe what you wish" she said defiantly; standing unsteadily, Clint joining her, and the two of them walked from the room without another word.  
Wow she must be tired Tony thought! Natasha didn't normally settle allowing someone to think her wrong.

There was a moment of silence before Steve continued the questioning: "Were there any other suspects?"

"Yes, none of those lines of investigation led anywhere"  
Tony wasn't sure that it was comforting to think SHIELD could suspect more than one of its operatives of turning on them; or whether it was good that they had a place to start.

"Well, I'm with Tasha on this one. It all seems too cut and dry, too neat; it was clearly a set-up. Well, either that or you have a serious mole problem!"  
Tony paused a second to let his words sink in; "So if it's all the same to you, I'd like to take a look at all the paperwork from the Latvia mission and your investigation"  
Fury, recognising defeat, nodded and looked to Coulson expectantly. The agent scurried from the room before returning with a crate of newly copied paperwork. Tony hadn't expected quite so much, but at least the notes would be thorough.

"Can I take all this back to the tower to..." Tony had begun to ask before Fury interrupted with a sharp "No"

"Yes, that will be fine Mr. Stark" Maria answered, glaring at her boss while gathering her own notes from the table.  
Fury looked shocked for just a second before shrugging and storming from the room.

"Let me know if I can do anything tohelp" Maria added before Tony turned to leave; Coulson nodded in agreement, smiling encouragingly as the last two Avengers left the room.

They all returned to New York, it was safer there. They had better resources too, there was no need to stay in Chicago any longer.


	13. Chapter 13

"So, let me get this straight; November 2011, you're sent to Vilnius in Latvia to take out Joseph Arvin?"  
The two assassins nodded; sat on the couch, Natasha crossed-legged, leaning her head into her hands, while Clint was slouched into the corner. Tony was stood facing them; clutching piles of paperwork and notes, there were more spread out over the other couch, floor and table; this was going to take a while. Bruce was writing everything in the form of a time line on the whiteboard he'd brought up from his lab, while Steve was stood staring pensively out the window.

"When you got back Tasha you were in a coma for three days? And Clint you were in medical the whole time too?"

Two more nods.

"Was Yates already in custody when you got out?"

"Yes" they said in unison.

"There's no trial date, so how did... Oh."

"What is it?" Bruce asked, looking up from his whiteboard.

"Here's his death certificate"

There was silence for a minute, before Bruce asked; "I didn't think SHIELD..."

"They don't!" Clint interrupted. "Not to their own, and definitely not before a trial"

"Then how?"

"Suicide" Tony answered having read the death certificate through.

Clint nodded, but Natasha sighed.

"What is it Nat?" Clint asked wearily, taking her hand in his. He knew how tired she was, he could see the conscious effort it took her to keep her eyes open.

"I went to see him, Yates, before he died"

Clint did nothing but nod, encouraging her to continue.

"I had to see for myself; I thought he was innocent, that he'd been set up. After I spoke with him I was sure... By the time I got back to Fury's office; he was dead."

"You don't think he took his own life?" Steve asked quietly from the corner.

"No, I think he was murdered"


	14. Chapter 14

"Okay, so what we're saying here is that Nazari has someone inside SHIELD who managed to murder someone on board the helicarrier and get away with it? How?"

"The security system went down for that day, there was a lot of panic we'd been hacked, but they fixed it after a few hours" Clint answered quietly, rubbing his temples.

"And no one found that suspicious?"

"Yes Captain, we found it suspicious, but no one would listen to us; they told us we had PTSD and made us see the shrink" Clint snapped back, he was getting tired of the relentless questioning. Natasha squeezed his knee in a calming gesture and offered him a small smile.

"Right, so" Tony cut in, re-entering the conversation, "We need all of SHIELDs personnel files so we can start to dig out the real mole, I don't trust SHIELDs notes from their last investigation"

"I can get them"

"Nat, you need to get some rest, I'll go and get them" Clint said.

"Do you know where they're kept and Hill's access codes? Because Fury is definitely not going to let her just hand them over this time..."

"How do you know where...?"

"My first week at SHIELD, I was curious, I read your file"

"Oh..."

"Okay, so: Nat you go break into the top secret agency you work for and get the files, Bruce and I will carry on working through the paperwork from Latvia, Clint maybe you should get some shut eye; you're not looking too hot yourself, and Cap... I'd love a cup of coffee?"

* * *

Natasha got changed, threw some cold water on her face and left, Clint looking worryingly at her as she boarded the elevator.

"We shouldn't have let her go alone, what if something happens?"

"Were you going to be the one to tell her that? Because I certainly wasn't going to be the one to tell Natasha Romanoff that I didn't trust her to look after herself"

"Tony, Clint's right"

"Alright Cap, you go with her"

Steve looked around the room, everyone was concerned for Natasha; she'd been through far too much that day to be breaking into a secret base alone, especially when there was a mole somewhere, determined to take her down. He nodded curtly and turned to leave, Tony shouting after him "you could at least finish the drinks before you go!"

* * *

In all the notes Tony read through, one name kept popping up; Mark Gabriel.  
Coulson had been unable to accompany his agents on the mission due to a broken ankle; Gabriel had been assigned to be Romanoff's handler while Agent Reeves signed up to handle Barton. Two handlers had been at the suggestion of Gabriel, who insisted the mission was too important to rely on just one. It was Gabriel who reported to SHIELD that the mission had been compromised after 20 minutes of radio silence; Romanoff's and Barton's comm units had been interfered with, and he claimed both handlers had been jumped from behind. Reeves had a concussion and was talking nonsense when Clint made it back to the evac point; carrying an unconscious and heavily bleeding Natasha.  
With no one to contradict his version of events and 13 untarnished years experience at SHIELD no one had even considered Gabriel as the mole, he certainly hadn't been looked into when they'd last investigated the mole; in fact, he'd been put in charge of the investigation, despite being the only member of the team to make it out of Latvia unharmed.

They'd have to wait for Tasha and Steve to come back with the personnel filed but Tony was fairly certain he knew where to start looking.


	15. Chapter 15

Natasha had known they'd send someone after her, she should have guessed it'd been Steve who'd come running out the tower after her.  
She was leaning on the wall waiting, trying to look nonchalant; but in reality she was tired from the short walk and the cold outdoor air hurt her chest. She needed a minute to compose herself.

"You ready?" she asked, forcing herself to stand upright and start walking down the street.

"Nat, you sure you're okay? You look-"

"I'm fine Steve"

"But you could really do with some rest"

"I'll rest when the jobs done Cap, now hurry up"

Shortly Natasha had a stabbing pain in her ribs and was struggling to breath properly as she strode down the road, refusing to show it she carried on at her fast pace and refused to slow down.  
Steve was able to read her better than she gave him credit for however, and got them a cab.

* * *

There was a great deal of activity around SHIELD HQ office when they arrived; Peter Joynson had not long since brought in from Chicago and was now in custody. There were lots of agents milling around, trying to get information and make some progress in the investigation.  
It was Steve's job to go talk to Hill, and get her out of her office so Natasha could sneak in, access and steal the paper copies of the personnel files.  
It took Steve a while to convince Maria he needed to talk to her and Coulson together, and drag her next door to Coulson's office.  
Natasha was thankful for another break and an opportunity to sit down. The day spent in the infirmary had really zapped all of her energy, she'd never felt so drained; her muscles ached and her vision was still fuzzy at the edges. Resting her head in her hands she was almost asleep when Steve and Maria exited her office.

Slightly less covertly than normal, she snuck into Maria's office, hacked into her filing cabinet (after a few wrong attempts; her hands were still shaking) and grabbed the paperwork; stuffing it into a bag and leaving quickly. Knowing full well that Steve's stalling skills weren't great, and Maria would be back any minute.

She'd meet him outside; that had been the plan, and Natasha really could do with a bit of fresh air.

15 minutes later, after a rather awkward conversation with Hill and Coulson, Steve rejoined Natasha and they caught a cab back to the tower.


	16. Chapter 16

Tony was starting to get frustrated. Waiting for Steve and Natasha was boring so he'd tried to start looking into Gabriel alone; and had absolutely no luck.  
Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bebo, Instagram, Tumblr, Flickr, Pinterest, even dating sites; he wasn't on there. Tony could find no record of him anywhere online. He didn't seem to have a mobile phone or credit card, no bank account, mobile phone or driving licence; nothing, he just didn't exist. Tony was just beginning to wonder whether Clint and Natasha would be so impossible to track down when Steve and Natasha walked back in, Nat throwing a rather heavy bag at him as she made her way to the couch.

Tony rifled through the bag looking for the file he was after.

"Hey, where's mine? That's favoritism Cap!" Tony complained as Steve came back to hand Natasha a glass of water and some aspirin.

"Alright Tony, what do you -"

"It's not here!"

"What isn't?" Clint asked, re-entering the room and rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"The file I wanted, you sure you got them all?"  
Natasha looked at him and raised an eyebrow, not even bothering to answer the question. Too exhausted to come up with a sarcastic or witty remark.

"Whose file are you after?" Clint asked, throwing himself down on the couch next to Natasha and leaning his head on her shoulder.

"Mark Gabriel; I'm sure it's him!"

"Gabriel's been MIA since last November, he went missing while undercover in Columbia" Natasha answered.

"Yeah it was a right mess. Two agents died and Gabriel was reported missing, suspected dead." Clint added, eyes now closed as he snuggled closer to Natasha.

"That doesn't help, it could still be him. Where's his file?"

"He's been suspected dead for over six months; his file would have been archived and the physical copy destroyed. We can hack into SHIELDs server from here to the archive but if they're looking closely enough they'll know..."

"Do it"

"Clint, you're gonna have to move, I need to get the laptop..."  
Clint was now asleep, leaning into Natasha with no plan of moving, so Bruce brought his tablet over and handed it to her. A few minutes later Tony was surer than ever that Gabriel had been the mole on the Latvia mission.  
The problem now was; with him being absent from SHIELD for over six months, who'd been feeding Nazari information since?

"There's either another mole, or Gabriel still has access to SHIELDs information somehow..."


	17. Chapter 17

They'd been looking through paperwork, mission reports and SHIELD documents for hours and felt like they were getting nowhere. Clint and (eventually) Natasha slept on the sofa, but the other three worked on throughout the night; determined to make some progress into finding Nazari.

"So, this is what we have so far; Nat and Clint took out Arvin; Nazari's son-in-law. Nazari's daughter then killed her son and committed suicide, which is why Nazari is after them. Yates was framed as Arvin's informant, when infact it was Gabriel. Gabriel murdered Yates and has been missing for about six months, he passed information to Nazari who then spread stories of a meeting with an arms dealer in the hope to draw Nat and Clint out; which worked, and then he tried to kill them..." Tony summarised for them, rubbing at his forehead in tired frustration.

"Sounds about right" Bruce muttered tiredly from his chair.

"But how..?" Steve asked from his perch on the sofa.

"That's what we still need to figure out"

"Anyone want some coffee?" Bruce asked, standing from his chair, stretching and heading towards the kitchen area.

Both men still working answered with the expected "yes" as Steve's phone began ringing;

"Rogers"

"Captain Rogers, its Agent Hill. We really need you to come in; all of you"

"Why? What's happened?"

"Nazari made an appearance"

"Here in New York? That was quick!"

"Tell me about it! He left us a file; It's something you all need to see"

"Nat and Clint are sleeping, and I'm starting to need some shut eye myself..."

"Send in Stark and Banner then, you three rest up. Something tells me it's going to be another long day"

* * *

Bruce drove him and Tony (already suited up) towards the SHIELD office trying to stifle a yawn. Tony was still flicking through the SHIELD archive Natasha had opened on the tablet for him.

The two men were used to working all day and night; fatigue was something both of them were accustomed to. But the level of worry and anxiety had drained them both. Bruce was hopeful whatever Nazari had left at SHIELD would be useful and help wrap this whole mess up. He wouldn't feel truly relaxed until this was sorted and his team was safe.

When they arrived Coulson was waiting to take them up to the conference room where Fury and Hill were looking through the file Nazari had left.

Spread across the large table were photos; Clint and Natasha outside of SHIELD HQ, Natasha and Tony in Central Park, Clint and Steve eating lunch in a cafe, Bruce and Natasha leaving the tower... Surveillance images of all the Avengers, along with several SHIELD agents; focused around Natasha and Clint over the past several months. There was press clippings and handwritten notes, there was even a DVD included which showed security footage from the foyer of the tower. Even copies of their SHIELD personnel files were included. Nazari had done his research, he'd set them up well and obviously had more people on his payroll than they'd though.

Tony and Bruce were sent to scour the streets of New York for Nazari, while Coulson and Hill drove over to the tower to brief the others. But when they got there, something was obviously wrong...


	18. Chapter 18

Almost as soon as they'd left SHIELD they located Nazari stood waiting in an alley way.

"Well that was easy" Tony joked, "You ready big guy?"

"I'm ready"

Bruce hung back towards the entrance of the alleyway while Tony strolled forward towards Nazari. He stood at the back of the ally staring out at them. There was a fire lit in one of the dustbins beside him which gave off an eerie glow as the flames flickered. It was 4am and still quite dark out, so the fire offered some welcomed light.

"So it seems you found me in good time" Nazari snarled

"Well you're not exactly hiding.. Or if you are; you're not very good at it."

"I assume you're going to take me into SHIELD?" he asked with a snarl.

"I'd kind of like to kick your ass first"

"You would fight an unarmed man?"

"Paybacks a bitch"

"I should have anticipated your desire for revenge, however both Romanoff and Barton are alive are they not?"

"No thanks to you"

"I like you; I'll offer you a hint. I'd ring them and say your goodbyes, because they won't be for much longer"

Tony had had enough; he grabbed Nazari's wrist and threw him into the wall, breaking his nose with the force. One swift hit and Nazari collapsed to the floor.  
Bruce suddenly appeared next to Tony, phone in hand;

"Tony, we gotta get to the tower, there's a problem"

"What do we do with him?" he kicked the unconscious man lay on the ground

"You go, I'll wait for SHIELD to come pick him up, and I'll meet you there"

* * *

The tower was in complete darkness when Hill and Coulson reached it. That was unusual, but when Jarvis didn't respond and they couldn't get past the first floor they knew something was drastically wrong. Tony's suit wasn't responding to their calls so they rang Bruce instead. The two men were now on their way back but in the mean time three members of the team could potentially be in a lot of trouble... Again.

* * *

Natasha was woken when the sharp sting of a slap stung her face. She felt groggy and weighed down, her difficulty focusing told her that she'd been drugged. At least she'd just been knocked out this time, she couldn't face going through what had happened yesterday again.

She opened her eyes slowly to see a familiar face watching her closely.

"Elena?"


	19. Chapter 19

The woman grinned at her, but there was not kindness in her eyes; they were cold and calculating, her smile was harsh and filled with malice.

"When Nazari approached me, offering me a chance to help take down the infamous Black Widow I was sure he was mistaken, there was no way a daughter of the red room would be fighting for the enemy"

"Elena, why would you work with Nazari? What's in it for you?"

"A chance to take you out once and for all"

With that Elena stepped back, revealing Clint and Steve unconscious and bloody, tied up lay on the floor.

Natasha was tied to a chair, still weakened from the drugs in her system. She still hadn't gotten over the effects of the venom the day before and the feeling of helplessness was steadily creeping in. Elena was examining her other hostages, checking they were bound properly before the drugs started to wear off.

Natasha took the opportunity to test her binds, they were tightly fastened but given a moment Natasha would be able to free at least one of her hands...

Elena turned and without hesitation shot Natasha in her thigh. Blood gushed from the wound and Natasha went suddenly rigid from the pain which seared through her body. Managing to keep it together she bit her lip and let no noise slip from her mouth.  
Elena strolled slowly over to her, eyes burning into her as she analysed her every movement.

"This isn't going to end well for you Natalia. Our masters have wanted you dead for a very long time. I shall return a hero; the most loyal of children to have killed the sister who became a traitor"

Natasha looked at her defiantly, the longer she kept talking, the closer she got; the better chance Natasha's plan had of working.

"Buy why Nazari Elena?"

"He had information, he too had a vendetta; Враг твоего врага является вашим другом Natalia (the enemy of your enemy is your friend). He knew your location and new occupation; your status as a American superhero has not gone unnoticed however your employment with SHIELD was new information, as was your relationship with the archer"

Elena studied Natasha's face closed for any signs that she'd spoken the truth. Turning back towards Clint and stroking the hair from his face, she smiled as she read confirmation in her expression.

"So it's true, I ask you Natalia; what's so special about him?"

"He is a good man Elena! And so is he" she said, straining to gesture at Steve while she was still bound. "This is between us, why are you bringing them into this?"

"Nazari paid me well to ensure you and the archer die agonising deaths, the masters want the rest of your new 'super' team dead too; a lesson to the others who may be thinking about following in your footsteps"

"You were my friend once Elena, when we were children. Does that mean less to you than blindly following the order of the men who hurt us, starved us, and almost killed us?"

Elena reacted in just the way Natasha had expected; her fists clenched in anger and she rounded on her, leaning in so close her face was just inches away from her own. Natasha didn't wait for her answer but closed her eyes and head butted her hard. Elena was taken back for a moment and stumbled slightly. Natasha used her recently freed arm to grab her hand, bend her wrist and snap it back. A sickening break sounded, and Elena dropped her gun. Natasha kicked it out of her reach, towards Clint and Steve in the hope that they'd wake soon.


	20. Chapter 20

Natasha was in the precarious situation of still having three limbs bounds to the chair. Elena lashed out in anger; kicking forcefully; her foot connected painfully with Natasha's ribs, causing the chair to topple backwards. Natasha managed to wrench her other wrist agonizingly out of its restraint before the chair landed and crushed it. Her head wasn't quite so fortunate and slammed onto the solid ground. _Tony really must invest in some rugs!_

Between the dangerous amount of blood she'd lost from her leg and the severe knock to her head; Natasha was finding it difficult to focus, her vision blurred at the edges and she felt nauseous; she most definitely had a concussion. Elena appeared over her, clutching a knife and drastically plunging it towards Natasha's face. She avoided the oncoming attach at the last moment by grabbing Elena's wrist, pulling her down towards her and elbowing her sharply to her face. Grabbing the knife she worked quickly but clumsily to undo the ropes which bound her legs and a moment later she was free.

She watched as Elena scrambled to her feet, pulled another gun and aimed it at Clint with a grin on her face. One moment spared to glare at Natasha was all the time the red head needed to climb to her feet and tackle the other woman to the ground. Elena was taller, bigger and heavier than Natasha, a late recruit to the red room; she was slower than most at the uptake but skilled nonetheless. Both women punched and kicked, elbowed and kneed each other; to the ribs, the knees, the face; all weapons forgotten. Although Natasha was the better fighter, she was badly injured; blood still gushed from the bullet wound in her leg, which was worryingly close to her femoral artery. Despite it all; Natasha had more to fight for, more to lose, the two men she fought for were part of her team, she knew they'd give their lives for her as she would for them. This gave her more drive and that helped her focus and work through the ever growing pain.

She used the table to help her to her unsteady feet as Elena glared at her from the floor; blood ran down her face and matted her dark hair to her face. She was breathing heavily; exhausted from the fight, though it was nothing in comparison to what Natasha felt. She saw Clint stir behind Elena, hoping he'd realise quickly he lay next to a discarded weapon Natasha decided to try and stall, not confident that she'd last much longer in a fight.

"Elena, please. Let's end this"

"I will never surrender. Our masters entrusted this mission and its completion to me. Я закончу свою жизнь Natalia, или я умру пытаясь _(I will end your life Natalia, or die trying)_

Clint was moving slowly towards the weapon now, the drugs and exhaustion made it difficult for him to aim, trying to steady his shaking hand he pulled the trigger; planning to end the woman's life who was threatening his partners, but at that moment Elena lunged forward, hitting Natasha in the face with an already bloody fist. The shot alerted her to his now conscious state; she wrapped her arm tightly round Natasha's neck, spinning to face Clint and using her as a shield.

"Let her go"

"Hum... I don't think so" she answered sarcastically

"You want revenge for Nazari? It was me that killed Arvin. Leave her out of it"

"You lie, I know you lie. The Black Widow killed Arvin while you took out his goons with you toy"

Natasha's vision was fading once again, the adrenalin which had flooded her system was now in short supply, and the pain in her leg was reaching excruciatingly high levels.  
She winked at Clint once; giving him the sign she was ready, then she twisted and elbowed Elena in one smooth movement and threw herself to the floor for cover as Clint emptied the rest of the clip.

Elena slumped heavily to the floor next to Natasha, dead in an instant.

Clint had one moment to lock eyes with her partner before Tony Stark; in full Iron Man gear, crashed through the window. Landing next to Clint he took a moment to assess the situation;

"Oh, I guess I'm too late for the rescue then?"


	21. Chapter 21

Steve awoke a few minutes later, finding Tony tapping frustrated onto his laptop trying to fix Jarvis and undo whatever Nazari or Elena had done to the tower security. The elevators were still offline and the doors to the other floors were all sealed off.  
Natasha was lay on the floor, barely conscious, as Clint gripped her thigh trying to stem the bleeding; from the looks of it she'd already lost a lot of blood. Her lack of sarcastic remarks and absence of insisting that she was fine was concerning. Clint was frantically trying to keep her awake an aware, but was steadily losing that battle.  
Steve scrambled to his feet, head pounding and a throbbing in his neck where he'd been injected with whatever had been used to render him unconcious... He walked over to where Elena's dead body lay;

"Do we know why?" he asked the other solemnly. She looked so young, he couldn't understand why someone like her would be helping Nazari.

"She's from the red room" came Natasha's weak response from the floor. The three men looked to Elena silently; they all knew that the people who ran Russia's illegal spy training facility wanted Natasha dead, probably even more so than Nazari.

"Got it!" Tony said happily as the elevators opened. He carefully picked Natasha up, being the only one who hadn't recently been injured or knocked out, and led the others hastily to the exit.

Bruce met the others at SHIELD HQ having accompanied the agents who'd come to collect Nazari. Natasha, Clint and Steve were taken straight up to medical. A SHIELD clean up team was dispatched to the tower to collect Elena's dead body, and Tony stalked angrily up to the interrogation rooms, followed by Bruce.

There were lots of people heading in the same general direction; most of them armed. Something was wrong; they could hear Fury yelling, and they soon found Hill who was stood pacing in the corridor.

"Hill, what's happening?"

"Joynson's dead and Nazari is gone"

"Excuse me?! Tell me I heard you wrong?"

"I wish you did, somehow he fled. Stopping on the way to murder his nephew."

"How the hell?!"

"We're working on it Stark! We currently have no idea how this happened!"

"It's pretty obvious you still have someone on the inside on Nazari's payroll, no matter how sure your boss is"

Tony turned to storm off. Nazari would lay low for a while; recuperate. With Elena and Joynson dead he'd need to recruit some more willing followers. But he certainly wouldn't stop until Clint and Natasha were dead.


End file.
